I don’t know about you but I always feel a little overwhelmed when it comes to selecting a wine. If I’m choosing one from the store I’m likely going based on whether or not I think the label is cute; if I’m ordering wine at a restaurant I’m usually anxiously scanning the list for one I recognize and hoping for the best. These methods aren’t foolproof and sometimes I’m left disappointed.

While I never know what I’m talking about with wine, there are some people who can order wine flawlessly. I’m always so impressed (and jealous) of these people and I have been wanting desperately to become like one of them. The big question is how exactly can I possibly become someone who orders wine like a pro? Obviously I had to turn to an expert.

Anytime I have a wine question, I’m reaching out to Kylie Britt, wine specialist at The Wool Factory and founder of Teacher's Pet Nat . Kylie helped me with my charcuterie post a little while back and I learned then how fantastic she is when it comes to this subject. In addition to being knowledgeable, she also makes wine super approachable. I knew she would be the best person to help me figure out how to choose wine. Here is what she taught me:

How to Order Wine Like a Pro

Wine: The Basics

First things first: let’s talk about the basics of wine.

Sparkling Wine

Sparkling wines are typically a great way to start your meal, either as an aperitif or with an appetizer (though a more acidic white wine or light bodied wine will also do the trick). With bubbles, you don’t have to go super expensive to have a lovely glass so you can opt for the more affordable options rather than a pricey champagne.

According to Kylie, carbonation is great to start off with because it wets your palate and it also goes well with the lighter food items.

White Wines

White wine comes from white grapes where the skin is removed before fermentation, which is why you’ll sometimes hear these described as having no skin contact. Some of the more popular white wines include Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio. While rules are meant to be broken, white wine is typically what you will pair with fish and chicken dishes.

Red Wines

Unlike their white counterparts, red wine is fermented with the skin on. It’s because of their longer contact with the grape that red wines also have higher tannins.

Reds can also be light or full bodied. If you would like a red with more versatility in terms of food pairing, a lighter red is the way to go, such as a light bodied Pinot Noir, which goes well with a fish or veggie dish.

Fuller bodied reds tend to go well with heartier meals, like beef and pasta dishes. This will mean opting for wines like Cabernet Sauvignon or Tempranillo. Fun fact I learned from Kylie: 99% of the time, a Rioja is made from Tempranillo. Rioja is in the region where tempranillo originates.

Rosé All Day…and Sometimes Orange?

If you are proudly basic like I am then you probably enjoy a good rosé. While drinks with bubbles are the most fun, there is something nice about a chilled, pink drink on a hot summer day. Unsurprisingly, this drink does well with seafood and lighter foods like charcuterie, hummus, and lighter pastas.

I also happen to think it’s the best drink to have with artichokes (one of my absolute favorite food items). While you may typically think of this as being more akin to a white wine, a rosé is made from red grapes immediately pressed and not fermented on the skin.

In addition to rosé wine, there is also Orange wine. Fun Fact: orange wine isn't actually made from oranges. This wine occurs when white grapes sit with their skin for a time. When you have orange wine, you can expect it to be more textured and fuller bodied than a white wine and it will sometimes even have savory qualities due to commonly being made from thicker skinned grapes.

But What About Dessert?

Dessert wine can be a bit of an acquired taste. You’ve probably noticed they tend to be sweeter than regular wine - this isn’t in your head! It’s because dessert wines actually do contain more sugar. This is due either to fermentation being stopped partway through, thus keeping the sugar from being converted, or because sugar was added after fermentation.

While dessert wine probably isn’t something you are going to drink everyday, there is a place for it. According to Kylie, that place is with a really fancy dessert - she swears chocolate and port are a match made in heaven and she’s not wrong.

As far as the types of Dessert Wines, there are several. You can select a fortified wine, where additional alcohol is added. This would be your vermouths and sweet sherry wines. There is also Madeira, Port, Marsala, Late Harvest Petit Manseng (meaning it was picked late in the season after more sugar developed, as not all Petit Manseng will be sweet), Sauternes and Vin Santo. If you are eating a fruity dessert or a white cake you’ll want to pair with a lighter option and, as mentioned before, chocolate and port are lovely together.

Process of Elimination

Now that we’ve talked about the types of wines and what they go with, let’s move onto the ordering process. The first step in ordering is going through the process of elimination. The first thing to consider is no one needs to go broke on wine, so go ahead and remove what you can’t afford.

Honestly, if you know you absolutely don’t like a type of wine (I feel like Chardonnay gets controversial) then go ahead and take it out of the running. A good wine menu should include both the name of the wine as well as the grape used but you can also always ask if you have questions about what type of wine is listed.

After removing the wines based on what is out of budget and what you don’t like from the list, you’ll want to decide between glass or bottle. For reference, a typical bottle of wine holds about five glasses of wine (a standard pour is five ounces).

If you are a table of four people all wanting a Pinot Noir, then you’ll probably want to go with a bottle but if everyone is ordering vastly different foods and can’t agree on what to get then ordering by the glass makes more sense.

As far as pairing, food can compliment wine (and vice versa) in unexpected ways. One thing to note is European wine tends to be pretty earthy when it comes to reds and have a high minerality when it comes to white whereas new world wines will be more fruit forward. This is mostly because of temperature but culture and winemaking style also has an impact. Regardless, this can be good to note when selecting based on the food you are ordering.

When selecting your wine, don’t try and order something crazy off of restaurant wine lists unless you know you are going to like it. Crowd pleasers in affordable ranges exist for a reason. Plus, as Kylie so eloquently put it, wine will never make food taste worse but it has the opportunity to make it taste a whole lot better; take your time and be thoughtful with your choice.

Asking for Recommendations

You know about the types of wines and have an idea of how to order, but what if (like me) you still just don’t know? It’s okay to ask your server for recommendations; in fact, it’s a great idea! Also, if you are in a fine dining establishment, chances are they’ll have a trained wine professional on staff, so be sure and ask to talk to the sommelier.

Every time I’ve seen Kylie in action I always hear her saying the same thing: she loves talking about wine and she loves helping people find wine they can be excited about. You can tell this is the case - she’s incredibly engaging - and so this first piece of advice makes a lot of sense. While I’ve always been shy about asking for a recommendation, I shouldn’t be. Wine experts love talking about wine.

When you ask for a recommendation, don’t be surprised if you immediately get some questions back. A good wine expert will want to know what you’re having, what your price range is and some general preference questions. This will give them an idea of where to steer you and also let them know how they can push you a bit outside of your comfort zone.

To Sip or to Swirl

In addition to stressing out about how to order wine, I also get very bashful about tasting what I order. The minute I see the bottle being brought to the table, my heart sinks because I don’t know how to act once the bottle has been presented and the taste has been poured.

So many questions end up running through my brain: Should I be swirling it? Should I be smelling it? Should I be taking it down the hatch like a shot? Usually I just panic, take a quick sip and say thank you but it honestly doesn’t have to be so awkward.

Bottle Service is done in order to confirm (a.) it’s the right wine and (b) it isn’t corked. Corked doesn’t mean someone did a bad job opening the bottle and now there are pieces of cork floating in your glass. In simple terms, it means the wine has interacted with a funghi on the cork and therefore has been tainted by the chemical compound TCA, resulting in an unpleasant taste and smell.

The science behind corked wine is interesting, but what it ultimately boils down to is it makes the wine gross. You can usually tell right away if the wine is corked, as it will have a damp cardboard smell and taste. If it’s not corked, the rest of the glass can be poured.

As far as swirling the glass before tasting, this is done to allow more of the ethanol to contact the air. As you give it more surface area, the aromas are transported to your nose more easily. Swirling allows you to see if there is anything wrong with the wine (like the most typical issue of cork taint).

You can also look at the color nicely by swirling your wine glass. A big lesson many have learned the hard way, though, is not to do it with a full glass unless you’d like to be wearing your wine.

Let’s Get Seasonal

As it is officially summer, I wanted to leave you with a list of wines Kylie recommends for these hot months. Here are some of her picks:

Albarino

This is grassy and herbal, which makes it go well with seafood like Tilapia. Try the offerings at Wisdom Oak and 53rd Winery.

Chambourcin

This is a great choice for BBQ or when you are grilling. Kylie recommends the one from Early Mountain when available (refrigerate it for 15 minutes while you are grilling and then serve).

Riesling

This white wine is perfect to pair with Thai or Chinese, particularly the spicy dishes. 12 Ridges Vineyard makes a great one, though any from the Shenandoah Valley will do.

Rosé

This is always a summer crowd pleaser (especially when used to make Frosé). Early Mountain and Lightwell Survey’s Strange Collapse are great options.

Bubbles

Bubbles are acceptable in all weather, but are especially lovely in the summer. Try the Capriccioso Sparkling Pinot Noir from Vino dal Bosco (a Gabriele Rausse winery).

And Finally - Porch Pounders!

These are those easy to drink wines you can have while sitting on your porch and enjoying the summer sunshine. Cardinal Point has a Green Wine (yes, you read that correctly - and you’ve probably already had it if you’ve had Vinho Verde or “young wine”), which is a blend of Chardonnay and Petit Manseng and the result is tart and fresh.

Honestly, after talking to Kylie about my anxiety over selecting the right wine I felt a lot better. Not only did I learn a lot about wine, I also realized the most important part: it’s meant to be fun! Wine, like food, should be a celebration and no one should ever feel self conscious about wanting to know more about something you enjoy.

Until next time, cheers and happy eating!

How to Order Wine Without Looking Clueless